Universal Avionics (UA) has appointed John Benoit to the position of director of strategic business development. He joins vice president of strategic business development Marc Bouliane and previous role holder Robert Randall in the strategic business development team, and will lead market development activities with OEMs (airframes and avionics), contribute to the development of robust product roadmaps and foster partnerships to complement UA's offering.

Benoit joins UA having had over 20 years of experience in the aerospace industry, including leadership and business development roles at Esterline Avionics Systems, Aviage Systems and Performance Software, and engineering experience as a system engineer and technical programme manager at Honeywell Aerospace. He is a United States Navy veteran and holds a commercial pilot's licence. He is a certified flight instructor and has performed aerobatics in airshows for many years. He also holds a bachelor's degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.